The education gaps between Mizrahim and Ashkenzim in Israel have not closed for generations. While this is well known, research about this phenomenon is lacking, leaving a hermeneutic void. The sociological discourse thriving in this void mainly vacillates between two opposing monolithic positions that nourish each other: The “structural sociology of suspicion,” represented by numerous scholars, and the “sociology of meaning,” advocated in Israel by Nissim Mizrachi.

In this essay, a proposal is made to advance theoretical thinking taken from the field of the “sociology of emotions;” this thinking will allow scholars to examine the ethnic disparity in Israel from a different angle. The sociology of emotions is a well-established and inspiring field which is often disregarded or marginalized in the sociological discourse in Israel. However, because it offers a vivid, pragmatic, and dialectical perspective, it may make an important contribution to dealing with theoretical hurdles and understanding obscure and elusive phenomena such as the one dealt with here.

This essay reviews the explanations offered by current sociological discourses and offers an organic, direct and dialectical elucidation inspired by the sociology of emotions. The essay examines various mechanisms, focusing on the education system, the media, and students’ immediate social environment. It shows how these mechanisms play an important role in generating and shaping the absence of Mizrahim from higher education in Israel over the past decades.